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June 30, 2002

O' Canada!

The Globe and Mail have a quiz to test you on your canadian knowledge, called the Nation Builder Quiz. Not really, it is just a standard pedagogically suspect test of rote memorization of dates and facts, but Yuka and I took it anyway... with the following result: globeNationBuildersquiz.jpg. Idiots shouldn't be allowed to play with technology."

Posted by jason at 10:59 AM

Pride Day Parade

Yuka has announced that we're going to the Pride Parade today. Usually she only drags me to one parade per year... the Labour Day worker's parade. I don't mind it, because usually no one goes to see it, so it is sparse. I hate crowds, but if I can find a nice vantage where I'm not standing in a crowd, it should be fun. And yes, I'll have pictures.

Yuka dragged me out, and fun was had... here's the pictures to prove it... Pride Toronto 2002. Don't miss Patty of the Triangle program. "

Posted by jason at 09:22 AM

June 29, 2002

jasonnolan.net

Jasonnolan.net may be going off line for a bit, due to my non-payment of my hosting service fees. I'm sure I'll get around to making alternative arrangements at some point."

Posted by jason at 01:47 PM

Better to Have Loved

Just bought my copy of Better to Have Loved: The Life of Judith Merril down at Pages Bookstore (256 Queen W.). I didn't make it to any of the book launches for it, and I've been waiting for a copy. Judith is something like the patron saint, godmother or midwife of Canadian Science fiction, and collaborated with my favourite author C.M. Kornbluth."

Posted by jason at 01:15 PM

June 28, 2002

Sousveillance

Just finished a paper withSteve Mann and Barry Wellman called ""Sousveillance: Inventing and Using Wearable Computing Devices to Challenge Surveillance"" and submitted it to the ""Bulletin of Sociological Methodology"" (I don't remember how to spell the title in French, which is the correct one)."

Posted by jason at 02:42 PM

Visiting Hokkaido

I just got an invitation to be a visiting scholar at Koritsu Hakkodate Mirai Daigaku (Future University) this fall. I get to give some presentations on collaborative virtual learning environments, work on some publications, and try to impliment a plan that Kat and I have been playing with to distribute a single CVE database over multiple servers in different countries. I can't wait to get back to the land of beer from vending machines, and electric Sake!"

Posted by jason at 09:57 AM

June 27, 2002

"Gee wizz, postmodernism IS right after all..."

Listening to a forensic accountant on CBC this morning. And the word is ""accounting is constructed fiction"" that has no basis in truth whatsoever. And we don't have the checks and balances that the US have in their securities commission. Is this the final blow in the face of the enlightenment and truth, in numbers, capitalism and western culture? Suggested rule: Do NOT use financial statements as a basis for information on a company. The final rule: Do not invest in Canada, as we're at the bottom of the barrel."

Posted by jason at 10:13 AM

June 26, 2002

"Moooooo, eh?"

I finally got an OSX compatible MOO client when I found Cantrap. Sometimes I just can't use our Java interface, because I'm doing silly things with my web browser, or I need my connection to be in a tiny window, or something. So, I've been using Savitar. It's not OSX compatible, which is a pain. Now with Cantrap, I've got one less nonOSX app to worry about. OSX is unix-based, if you don't know, so nonOSX applications must run in emulation, which is a pain. As of now, I only have a couple of programs that aren't compatible: Now UpToDate, FireWorks and Photoshop, and a couple I rarely use. When I get new versions of them, I'm freeeeee!"

Posted by jason at 08:04 AM

June 25, 2002

Trapping Pictures

At salmon's house there is a cat that is the better mousetrap It ate a mouse, as she said. Yuka wanted to see what it looks like. Here it is.

"

Posted by jason at 08:34 AM

SniffAudioGalaxy

Salmon and I... her more vocally than I we bemoaning the death of Audiogalaxy. It isn't so much dead, as it is castrated. As they say, Audiogalaxy has agreed to take whatever actions necessary to ensure that no unauthorized copyrighted material be transmitted over our peer-to-peer network."" Until I heard William Gibson talk about napster a couple of years back at Ted-City, I'd never given much thought to music online. Music online was never mine. Like how many of these bands do you know: Stranglers, Suicide, Howard Devoto, Van Der Graff Generator, Sparks, Diamanda Galas, Japan, Einsturzende Neubauten, John Foxx, Ultravox, Magazine, Mick Karn, Robert Fripp, Brian Eno, Cabaret Voltaire, Shakira... ok the last was a give away, and the rest you know I bet, or you are probably wondering who this jason person is anyway... [If you've just signed up for my summer course, please ignore this post...] I just assumed that since not many people listened to these folks I'd never find them online. Gibson got me thinking about Napster, for a different reason, and I started playing and exploring, and loving it. And, for the first time in my life, I actively started buying CDs. And it hasn't stopped. I buy CDs because I can download songs for free over the internet. Get it? So, Napster dies. Limewire didn't replace it. So I stopped downloading music, and strangely enough stopped buying CDs. Until AudioGalaxy and macSatellite. Now audio Galaxy is Poot! And I'm stuck again. I don't want to go back to Limewire, especially because of all the non-music junk on it, but I may have no choice. My job, as soon as I get the the other jobs out of the way, is to start looking throughZeropaid.com - The File Sharing Portal, which I found today while reading PowerPage. Hopefully I'll find something there to help me keep buying CDs. BTW, here's what I've bought recently (past month) that I never would have bought otherwise: Pollen: Chip Pollen: Peach Tree Vert: Nine types of ambiguity Vert: The Koln Koncert Sparks: The Ultimate Sparks Waits: Alice Waits: Blood Money Suicide: Suicide Oh, maybe that was the point. I'm not buying the RIGHT music. That's where Shakira comes in. I don't really like her pop song, famous butt aside. But I tripped over her singing in spanish. Much much nicer."

Posted by jason at 07:26 AM

June 23, 2002

"Salmon, the Musical"

Thanks to fellow GTA Blogger Jen Vetterli (Circadian Shift), here's Salmon on DNTO (2.2meg MP3). I'll rip a high rez version later, but this is fast and sweet."

Posted by jason at 03:52 PM

June 22, 2002

Salmon on DNTO!

Salmon was on DNTO this afternoon for her much anticipated segment on blogging! It was great. I listened to it has her house with some of her buddies. She recorded it and is getting me a copy."

Posted by jason at 05:28 PM

June 21, 2002

When Mom Comes to Town

I bought some shoes today. Mom came into town spontaneously and we went out for lunch at Konnichiwa, and then toured my now-locked office, and went shopping. Found the shoes at the end. Thus goes the last day in a week long headache. Wheeeee@"

Posted by jason at 08:23 PM

June 20, 2002

Canadian Children's Literature Journal

Canadian Children's Literature / Litterature canadienne pour la jeunesse has a new Contributing Editor... Me! I may have mentioned this, but it is now official... I just got Vol 27 #3, fall/autumn 2001 (I kid you not.), and I'm listed there. Wheeeeee! I have a review in it, and Yuka and I have a 2 page review in it as well. So, technically, I've been a Contributing Editor since 2001. Thanks BEN! (Ben's the Assistant Editor and all around cool dude.)"

Posted by jason at 02:56 PM

KMD1000

The web page for the new graduate course,KMD1000, I'm teaching next year. If you want to take the course, here's where you get the information. You can register through ROSI, and the course is open to select 4th Year students by permission of the course instructor(s)."

Posted by jason at 02:52 PM

BatHats and C.

Bat hat et al. is just a quick page I made up to show my nice hatwear and related stuff to some folk."

Posted by jason at 08:56 AM

June 17, 2002

Going Legit.

I just joined the a.(o).i.r, Association of Internet Researchers. That is I actually paid my dues and am a card carrying member, rather than haunting the list forever as I have... and I'm on the committee for the 2003 aoir conference in Toronto, so it is time. I don't know what this means, but I just wanted to share."

Posted by jason at 11:38 AM

June 15, 2002

Saturday Storms and Drangs

Nothing special. Got a headache today, and a back ache. And I'm thirsty. And a bit hungry. But I did give an insulin injection to the neighbour's cat this morning! Yes, she did need it. I don't go around sticking pointed metal things into cats. I would like the headache to go away so that I can do my final edit on a paper I'm co-writing, that should be done today. Then I can go shopping."

Posted by jason at 10:55 AM

June 12, 2002

E2K nominated for e-zine award!

The ezine, for which I'm editor-at-large, and web site designer, E2K: a journal for the new literary paradigm, was nominated for an Independent e-Book award under the category of Favorite e-Zine: Announcing the Short List for the 2002 Independent e-Book Awards by the Digital Literature Institute, to be announced at the Digital Literature Festival, November 1-3, 2002 in Santa Barbara, California. Congratulations RR and Rhonna! (Publisher and Managing Editor)"

Posted by jason at 05:21 PM

June 10, 2002

"Oh, My God! It's SimSim"

I just got a visit/comment (see post below) from SimSim! and her ""My Janet Blog"". SimSim's one of my most famous ex-students, and responsible for my only appearance on VH1, or so I've heard. They sent a crew up from the US to interview her as the #1 Michael Jackson fan on the planet. I got interview from my august position as a professor of ""#1 Michael Jackson fan on the planet"". That said, SimSim and I spent many hours while she was my workstudy student listening to old Ultravox, Vibrators, Onlyones, Stranglers, etc... and bless her, I almost never had to listen to MJ. Well, SimSim has a cool blog, so check it out... and she uses the word masterbation on it. I can imagine her still blushing. Go SimSim!"

Posted by jason at 05:46 PM

BlogWars in the Times

A Rift Among Bloggers. strange, I was online mooing and blogging with Hildegarde on September 11... it was just another part of blogging... being there. Figures that I'd miss this post-Sept 11 rant of Americanism. What Salmon says about the blogging community is true. ;-)"

Posted by jason at 07:26 AM

June blossoms

Yuka's June8 Adventure. And yes, I'm holding the camera. She'd director. Sort of."

Posted by jason at 07:20 AM

June 08, 2002

Little Italy

Hanging in Salmon's part of town, but didn't bug her... had icecream, and went to a music store. There are only two on that street... one is Boom She Said, and the other one I went to. Found 2 CDs... vert n i n e t y p e s o f a m b i g u i t y and vert t h e k ³ l n k o n z e r t . Then on the way out, I ordered two Pollen CDs, and then on theWAY out saw Sparks ""Profile: The Ultimate Sparks Collection"". Now I can continue work on Pollenation #3 and #5... tentatively entitled ""RoboDogBoy"" and ""FlowerSmokeGirl"". Yuka touched many animals. And there was much rejoicing."

Posted by jason at 10:02 PM

June 07, 2002

KMD1000 Blurb

[This is the first public posting of the full year grad course I'm teaching this fall. Anyone crazy enough to take it? Dave Goulden has worked with/for both Ron and I, and he thinks it is just a scary combination.]

KMD 1000Y: Core Seminar in Knowledge Media Design
instructors: Ron Baecker and Jason Nolan
homepage: http://kmdi.utoronto.ca/kmd1000

DATE: Thursday, 12-3 location: TBA

Catalog Description
This state-of-the-art survey reviews the emerging field of knowledge media design, and the use of new media for communication, collaboration, and coordination. Lectures by faculty who are leading research in the design of knowledge media will explore the boundaries between traditional domains of knowledge, and inquire into the ways in which these domains intersect in the design of knowledge media. Course readings address leading-edge theoretical, conceptual, methodological and research issues across the cross-disciplinary spectrum, including: human-centred design; knowledge media technologies; the cultural and social implications of knowledge media; use of knowledge media for learning; applications and examples of knowledge media; and the future of knowledge media.

Lectures will include issues such as: design methods, quantitative and qualitative methods for evaluation, and the implications of knowledge media for learning, culture and society. We will introduce specific examples of knowledge media, such as instant messaging, CVEs (Collaborative Virtual Environments), digital libraries, video conferencing, ubiquitous computing, and webcasting. We will also examine a number of key application areas such as information exploration, policy formation. Alongside faculty lectures, students will be expected to present their work to the class.

This course is open to members of the University of Toronto graduate community. Students enrolled in the KMD collaborative program will be given priority placement. For information on the KMD collaborative program visit http://kmdi.utoronto.ca/ and for more information on KMD1000Y contact Ron Baecker (rmb@dgp.utoronto.ca) or Jason Nolan (jason.nolan@utoronto.ca)

Course Objectives
KMD1000Y has been designed with the objectives of:

Evaluation
Knowledge Media Use, Evaluation, Comparison, and Critique (20%)
This assignment will entail students gaining hands-on experience working with a number of simple and popular information and communication technologies. The learning outcomes will centre around students using this experience in order to develop familiarity and literacy in the diversity of technologies, start to develop skills in reading these spaces as Knowledge Media tools, assess features and options, and speak critically on explicit, hidden, and null design issues.

Knowledge Media Design, Prototyping, and Evaluation (25%)
This assignment will give students experience understanding and applying user needs to situate, design, prototype, and evaluate a novel knowledge medium of their own conception. The design project will be spread over 11 weeks.

Scholarly Research Project (25%)
The topic will be negotiated between the student and one or both of the faculty members. One heuristic for choosing a topic is to think about an issue in the use of some kind of knowledge medium by some group of human or humans in some application, situation, task, and/or locale.

Oral presentation(s) (10%)
Class participation (10%)
Test (10%)
"

Posted by jason at 03:42 PM

From TV to DVD

Yuka and I watched the A&E version of last night. God I needed something diverting and as monolithically unencumbered as it was. It was a total failure as a soapopera... which is what I thought it might be. Thank god for that too. Now, do I dare read the book? Or just get the Neil Gaiman comic version?"

Posted by jason at 07:21 AM

June 06, 2002

Reading Movies with Salmon

Spent the day doing many things... meeting with Peter, Joel, Vera and Katherine at OISE to work on the International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments. Then meeting Ron about the KMD 1000 course this fall, which will be public tomorrow! Then I met Salmon and drank beer while waiting for Yukazine for some Mexican shrimp and beer. Yuka later ignored us while we started reading Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter. It is both hard and dangerous to read movies. First you need paper. Then you need a remote control. And anyone stops the movie at any time to make notes. Then the laughter starts. It took 20 minutes to just get through the credits! And after 2 hours of note taking hilarity, we had to stop... only 40 minutes into the movie. Some people!"

Posted by jason at 06:47 AM

June 04, 2002

Yukazarus

is just something yuka made me photograph tonight. Don't ask why. I don't know."

Posted by jason at 09:44 PM

June 03, 2002

"IMMUNITY CHALLENGE #1: pimp it, daddy."

GTA's Rannie: Is fighting to get into the socially problematic position of being a pimpdaddy in blogwhore: the webgame. It does make you wonder what goes on in our drive for self-advancement through the playful appropriation of the marginalized. Or just good clean fun. What are the key activities? Bitchslapping your Ho with a Denial of Service Attack? So, and what are we immune to? [BTW, Rannie sent an email request that we GTAers link to this site and to make it interesting. I figured that mild outrage would be intresting.]"

Posted by jason at 09:01 AM

June 02, 2002

hanging in Leaskdale.

Leaskdale Manse Visit June 2002"

Posted by jason at 11:26 PM

Lindsay Ontario with Ben and Hildegarde and Yuka...

Rented a car and went to the Victoria County Museum's Life and Work of LM Montgomery in Lindsay with Yuka, Hildegarde and Ben. These are our pictures of the Museum. I'll massage and upload the pictures that include Ben and Hilde as soon as I get a moment. My home wireless network went awol today, and i spent most of the morning fixing it, while having an insane brunch with said Ben and Hildegarde... hildegarde sang for us, and ben made her laugh. A lot. Read more about it at a Room of Ben's Own"

Posted by jason at 05:26 PM

June 01, 2002

The Griffen for EUNOIA

As I found on Salmon's blog The Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry goes to her friend Christian for EUNOIA. Congratulations. I got it a couple of months ago, and got through chapter A. Perhaps it will be another letter this month."

Posted by jason at 07:17 AM